Method of producing illusory effects.



L. MOGORMICKU METHOD OF PRODUCING ILLUSORY EFFEGTS APPLICATION FILED JULY 19,1913.

1,093,71 1. Patented Apr. 21, 191a 4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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L. ".MGGORMIOK.

METHOD OF PEODUOING ILLUSORY EFFEGTS.

APPLICATION TILED JULY 19,1913.

Patented Apr. 21, 191i 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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INVENTOR COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH' co WASHINGTON. D. c.

L. MCCORMICK.

METHOD OF PRODUCING ILLUSORY EFFECTS. APPLIOATION FILED JULY'19,1918.

1,093,71 1. Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

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L. MOCORMIGK.

METHOD OF PRODUCING ILLUSORY EPPEGTS. APPLICATION FILED .TULY19,1913.

1,093,? 1 1. Patented Apr. 21, 1914;

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

WITN ESSES w l g LANGDON MCCORMICK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

METHOD OF PRODUCING ILLUSORY EFFECTS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 21 1914 Application filed July 19, 1913. Serial No. 779,955.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LANGDON MCCORMICK, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Producing Illusory Effects, of which improvements the following is a specification. p

The invention described herein relates to the method of producing illusionary effects, such as the movement of an object and has for its object the giving of the impression of the movement of the object during a portion of its traverse by causing the appearance of lights successively and at different points in a perspective view depicted on a curtain, causing the appearance of a simulation of that object or a portion thereof at a suitable point in the line of movement indicated by the lights, imparting an impression that the object is in motion relative to the audience by changing the appearance and position of some distinctive or characteristic part of such object, and imparting an actual bodily movement of the object toward or from the audience.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front view of a stage showing the front curtains lowered and raised respectively; Fig. 1 is a perspective view equipped with apparatus for the practice of my improved method and representing the final positions of the several parts of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the stage, showing the front curtains lowered and raised; Fig. 3 is a view of the front curtains and means for operating the same; Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the locomotive represented in Figs. l and 2, but in extended position; Fig. 5 is a sectional view on a plane indicated by the line VV and illustrating apparatus for operating the lights on the locomotive; Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the head light of the locomotive illustrating a means for varying the brilliancy of the light; Figs. 7 and 8 are front views of the automobile showing the means for operating the lights and showing the latter in different positions.

While for convenience my method is de scribed in connection with apparatus adapted to produce certain specific illusionary effects, such apparatus forming the subject matter of an application filed by me February 10th, 1913, and numbered serially 747,310, it will be understood that other means may be employed for producing the desired illusions and hence the broad claims hereln are not limited to any specific mechanism for carrying the several steps.

The apparatus shown herein and in the application referred to is specifically adapted to produce the illusion of the movements as the approach or recession of two objects as an automobile and a train of cars. For convenience of description the movements of the objects from a distant point toward the audience will be described. The eifect of distance is produced by a scene in perspective the same scene being delineated upon the first and second curtains, and also by the successive appearance of spots of lights at different points, such spots varying in size progressively and the lights varying in intensity or size or both progressively.

A railroad a and an ordinary road 03 are conventionally depicted as extending through the scene on both curtains to a common point as the station 23 arranged on the stage 20 in front of the first curtain, which is adapted to be quickly shifted as hereinafter described. To facilitate the shifting of this curtain it is preferably made in two horizontal sections 21 and 22 and suitable means are provided as described in the application referred to for drawing up the section 21 and lowering the section 22. In addition to the pictorial representation of the roads 0 and (Z, provision is made in the section 21 for the appearance of spots of light, which can be effected by making apertures through the curtain or rendering the points where lights should appear translucent by any suitable means known in the art. The term apertures will be hereinafter used to designate the points where the lights are to appear, although there will be no physical opening through the curtain but only translucent places, which are included under the term apertures. The apertures 6 following the railroad are preferably square so as to give the impression of the windows of a train of cars. The apertures which at the most distant point in the perspective are quite small, gradually increase in dimension toward the front of the perspective and these apertures are illuminated successively.

If it is desired to give the effect of an approaching train the illumination of the apertures begins at the smallest and most distant and proceeds forwardly to the largest apertures. If the recession of the train is to be indicated, the illumination will begin with the largest and nearest apertures. The apertures following the road (Z are made oblong to indicate the beam of light emitted from the lamps of an automobile. The ob long apertures are made of different lengths so as to give the impression that the automo bile has passed behind some object as a house. At the turns of the roads, where both lights of an automobile would appear a plurality of pairs of apertures 31 are provided thereby giving the eifect of the automobile moving directly toward the audience. A series of apertures 31 may be provided at the turns of the railroad, said apertures being larger than adjacent apertures indicating the car windows in order to indicate the head-light of the locomotive. The lines of apertures continue to the lower edge of the section 21 of the first curtain, such edge corresponding to the line of the horizon in the perspective. From this horizon line the automobile and train should appear as moving head on toward the audience. hen by the illumination of the apertures immediately adjacent to the lower edge of the curtain section 21 or horizon these objects appear to have obtained that position, the first curtain is immediately shifted as by raising one section and lowering the other, thereby revealing the locomotive of the train and the front of an automobile the back of the stage and also a curtain 85 behind the automobile and engine and having thereon a duplicate of the scene on the sections 21 and 22 of the front curtain but without apertures along the lines of the roads.

It should have been stated that the lower section 22 of the front curtain has painted thereon a road and lines of rails extending from the horizon to the stage on which is placed a section of track 25, consisting of cross-ties and rails on which rest the wheels of the engine.

As will be hereinafter stated the headlight of the engine and the lights of the automobile are in line respectively with notches a and Z) in the lower edge of the curtain section 21. The notches are in the form of inverted Vs and except for small portions at their upper parts are normally covered by the lower curtain section 22, and when the train and automobile appear to have reached the horizon, the lights from the auto lamps and engine head lights are allowed to shine through the uncovered portions of the notches a and Z). By the movements of the front curtain sections up and down respectively the notches a and Z) are entirely uncovered and there will appear such bright beams of light from the lamps of the engine and automobile as to temporarily dazzle the eyes of the audience, so that the shifting of the curtain will not be noticed.

It will be seen that the curtain 85 shows a train 86 in perspective immediately behind the locomotive, and either apertures 87 are formed through the curtain where the car Windows are depicted or such portions of the curtain are rendered translucent. The apertures 87 increase in dimensions from the rear end of the train, and when the front curtain is removed as stated light is caused to shine through the apertures 87 beginning at the smallest and proceeding forward thus giving the illusion of the approach of the train.

In order to give the illusion that the engine and automobile are at a great distance and 011 the horizon the lamps of the auto are arranged close together as shown in F 7 and the light partially cut off by suitable means, as shutters consisting of movable sections 78 as shown and described in the ap plication referred to. To give the eil'ect of movement from the horizon these lamps are gradually moved apart and lowered to the position indicated in Fig. 8 and the shutters gradually opened either during or immediately after the shifting of the lamps as stated, and the automobile is moved to the front of the stage. To give the impression that the engine is at a distance 0. g., on the horizon the head-light is in its lowest position as shown in Fig. 2 and the light therefrom partially cut off by suitable means such for example as that shown in Fig. (3. To produce the illusion that the engine is approaching the head-light is gradually raised and increased in size and brilliancy or both by shifting the cut-oil mechanism. At the same time that the head light is manipulated, light is caused to shine successively through the apertures 87, as before described. After or during the shifting of the head-light as stated the front portion of the locomotive is caused to move forward on the track 25.

While for a particular description of the mechanism for operating the lamps of the engine and automobile and of the construetions of the locomotive reference should be had to the application herebefore referred to, such lamp operating mechanism and locomotive construction will be briell y described.

The locomotive 24 is hollow and comprises a forward portion 32, a tubular or hollow section 33 secured thereto, a tubular or boiler section 34: mounted on wheels 35 and adapted to slide or telescope on said boiler section 33, a rear cab section 3t) which is also mounted on wheels 37, and adapted to slide upon the boiler section 3 1-, and a, tender section adapted to receive the cab portion, so that the locomotive as a. whole Cir may normally stand in a telescoped or contracted condition, as shown in Fig. 2, or in extended condition, as shown in Fig. 6. The forward portion 32 of the locomotive is mounted on wheels 38, the sections 32, 34 are connected by chains 89, and the sections 34, 36 are connected by chains 40, the purpose of the chains being to permit of the extension of the sections of the locomotlve without said sections entirely separating from one another. The locomotive has the appearance to a sufficient extent of an actual railway locomotive and is hollow so that it may conceal an operator or operators who may upon the shifting of the curtains 21 and 22, and acting from inside of the locomotive, push the front portion of the boiler section and cab portion of the locomotive forwardly toward the footlights of the stage. WV heels upon which all the portions of the locomotive, except the tender, are mounted are adapted to the railway track 25, and hence the locomotive will always have a definite path of movement and be confined thereto.

The lamp or head-light of the locomotive consists of a rectangular casing 42 carried by a slide 44 mounted on vertical guides 45 secured to the front of the locomotive. The slide raised by means of a rope 47 passing over suitable guide pulleys and connected to a drum lVithin the casing 42 is arranged a nontransparent damper plate 51 having an opening 52 in line with the lamp 50, by shifting the damper plate toward the lamp the brilliancy and size of the light appear to increase. The damper plate is shifted toward the lamp by means of a rope wound on a drum 55, which is provided with a pinion inter-meshing with a pinion carried by a second drum 58 on which is Wound a portion of a rope 57, which is attached to some fixed part of the engine. As the slide 44 is moved up the rope or drum 58 is drawn oft rotating the latter which in turn so rotates the drum. as to draw the damper plate toward the lamp. The side lights 60 are carried by slides 61 mounted on inclined guides 62. The slides are shifted to vary the positions of the side lights by ropes 63 connected to the slides and extending over suitable guide pulleys to the drum 49. By this construction the shifting of the head and side lights and the varying of the brilliancy or size of the head-light is effected by the operation of the drum 49.

The lamps 64 of the automobile are carried at the outer ends of arms 67 which have their opposite ends pivotally connected to the automobile. The arms are shifted to bring the lamps to the positions which they should occupy to give the impression that the automobile is at a distance as shown in Fig. 7 by means of ropes 69 and 70 extending from the arms and passing over guide pulleys to the steering post 73, which is employed as a drum to shift the lights 64. To insure the uniform movements of both lamps, rods 74 extend from suitable points in the arms 67 to a pin 76 adapted to move vertically in a slot 74 in the front of the automobile. The lamps are provided with shutters, consisting of movable pivotally mounted sections78 substantially similar to a camera shutter, but adapted to vary the light emitting opening but not to entirely close the same. These shutter sections are shifted as required simultaneously with the movement of the lamps by means of rods 83 extending from the rods 74 to the shutter sections.

That illusion of movement of the engine and train may be produced or heightened by the back or forward movement of some other object on the stage, such for example the signal post and signal 90, which are arranged on the stage adjacent to the track 25. This signal is carried on a movable platform 91 so that it can be drawn back as the engine moves forward or vice versa, when it is desired to produce the appearance of a departing train. This signal post carries a lantern 92, the light from which is obscured or dimmed, while the front curtain is in position but, when this curtain is to be shifted and at the same time that the light emitted through the notches a and b is increased, the light from the lantern 92 and the other accessory stage lights are increased to so dazzle the eyes of the audience that the shifting of the front curtain will not be noticed.

It Will be readily understood that by varying the interval between the lights appearing through the apertures along the lines of the roads 0 and (Z and through the apertures 87 in curtain 85 impressions as to the rate. of movement of the train or other object can be produced. The same effect can be produced by varying the rate of movements of the lights carried by the auto and locomotive and by varying the relative movements of the engine and signal.

While my improved method is shown and described in connection with an automobile and railway train, it will be understood that illusionary effects can be produced in connection with a large variety of objects, and hence as regards the broad claims the invention is not limited to the employment of any particular form or construction of apparatus.

I claim herein as my invention:

1. As an improvement in the art of producing illusory effects, the method herein described which consists in producing the effect of movement of an object by the successive appearance of lights at different points in perspective and continuing such illusion by varying the position of some distinctive part of the object.

2. As an improvement in the art of pro eftect of movement of an object by the suc- I cessive appearance of lights at different points in perspective and continuing such illusion by varying the dimensions of some distinctive part of the object.

3. As an improvement in the art of producing illusory effects, the method herein described which consists in producing the efi'ect of movement of an object by the successive appearance of lights at different points in perspective and continuing such illusion by varying the position of some distinctive part of the object and causing an apparent movement of the object by changing the relative positions of such object and some adjacent object.

4t. As an improvement in the art of producing illusory effects, the method herein described which consists in producing the effect of movement of an object by the successive appearance of lights at difierent points in perspective and continuing such illusion by varying the position of a light carried by said object.

5. As an improvement in the art of producing illusory effects, the method herein described which consists in producing the effect of movement of an object by the successive appearance of lights at different points in perspective and continuing such illusion by varying the brilliancy and dimensions of lights carried by said object.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

LANGDON MCCORMICK.

Witnesses F. B. Joyce, Amen A. TRILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, I). C. 

